How to install the matchbox keyboard ?

How to install the illume (Raster's) keyboard ?

Short answer (theoretical): wait until the illume-config-illume package arrives in the repository, then install it with opkg.

Update: It is available in the testing feeds, but it does not give you the keyboard.

How to turn off the Qtopia keyboard ?

Short answer: Add the line export QTOPIA_NO_VIRTUAL_KEYBOARD=1 into the file /etc/X11/Xsession.d/89qtopia.

Warning: Even when you install another keyboard, if you do not turn off the Qtopia keyboard it will come back on the top to bite you trollishly. References:
Comment on ticket 1864, and untested proposed
patch to qpe.

How to change the keyboards layout ?

TBD

How to change the dictionary used by the predictive keyboards ?

The dictionary for the "standard" (qtopia) predictive keyboard is stored in /opt/Qtopia/etc/dict/<LANG>/words.dawg. To change it, compile with dawgen an ispell dictionary (list of words) and replace the en-US words file. You can find an x86 binary dawgen executable here.

For illume: TBD

Matchbox has no predictive mode (to be confirmed ?).

How to toggle the predictive mode on and off ?

TBD

How to make Qtopia keyboards and illume/raster keyboard coexist ?

TBD

Your short-term options

Even if things might look bad, you shouldn't assume that they are

Turn off the Qtopia keyboard and install the matchbox one instead.

Keep the Qtopia keyboard, let go (for a while) the desire to use the terminal locally, login remotely via ssh when you need.

Get an external keyboard, USB or Bluetooth, light and foldable if you want.

How to install the matchbox keyboard ?

How to install the illume (Raster's) keyboard ?

Short answer (theoretical): wait until the illume-config-illume package arrives in the repository, then install it with opkg.

Update: It is available in the testing feeds, but it does not give you the keyboard.

How to turn off the Qtopia keyboard ?

Short answer: Add the line export QTOPIA_NO_VIRTUAL_KEYBOARD=1 into the file /etc/X11/Xsession.d/89qtopia.

Warning: Even when you install another keyboard, if you do not turn off the Qtopia keyboard it will come back on the top to bite you trollishly. References:
Comment on ticket 1864, and untested proposed
patch to qpe.

How to change the keyboards layout ?

TBD

How to change the dictionary used by the predictive keyboards ?

The dictionary for the "standard" (qtopia) predictive keyboard is stored in /opt/Qtopia/etc/dict/<LANG>/words.dawg. To change it, compile with dawgen an ispell dictionary (list of words) and replace the en-US words file. You can find an x86 binary dawgen executable here.

For illume: TBD

Matchbox has no predictive mode (to be confirmed ?).

How to toggle the predictive mode on and off ?

TBD

How to make Qtopia keyboards and illume/raster keyboard coexist ?

TBD

Your short-term options

Even if things might look bad, you shouldn't assume that they are

Turn off the Qtopia keyboard and install the matchbox one instead.

Keep the Qtopia keyboard, let go (for a while) the desire to use the terminal locally, login remotely via ssh when you need.

Get an external keyboard, USB or Bluetooth, light and foldable if you want.